A rite or wrong passage?

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT), Nanci G. Hutson THE NEWS-TIMES

Published 1:00 am, Sunday, July 2, 2006

Shepaug Valley Middle School Principal Lorrie Rodrigue was bombarded with calls from furious parents - even threatened - after she canceled the eighth-grade promotion ceremony a week ago as punishment for a rowdy food fight that included most of the class.

Schaghticoke Middle School
Principal
Dana Ford
endured the wrath of New Milford parents three years ago when she opted to switch the eighth-grade promotion ceremony from an evening event to two separate morning ceremonies with far less pomp and circumstance.

In the last decade or so, ceremonies to celebrate educational milestones starting with kindergarten and elementary school promotion have become almost expected rites of passage.

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They are earning mixed reviews from parents, educators and students. Some think they are ways to applaud academic achievement; others suggest they steal the thunder from what will be the true pinnacle of these children's undergraduate career - high school graduation.

Then there are those whose opinions fall in between: They encourage congratulatory events that spotlight students, but do not wish them to usurp the anticipation of earning their high school and college diplomas.

The promotion ceremony for some 350 students is held in the
Danbury High School
auditorium because of the class size. Local city and school dignitaries are invited, awards are presented and teachers from the school's five clusters hand out certificates.

"It's somewhat formal, but not like the high school graduation. It's a chance for the kids to be recognized and celebrate this accomplishment," Kunst said. "I don't think it goes overboard."

In Ridgefield,
Michele Kohari
said her two daughters, Lauren, now a college graduate, and Olivia, soon to be a high school junior, had similar experiences with the eighth-grade promotion ceremony at
East Ridge Middle School
.

Her son, Andrew, 26, attended a kindergarten to eighth-grade
Catholic school
in Delaware and was also treated to an appropriate sendoff.

"The ceremony (at East Ridge) was nice. It wasn't over the top. It was at the school, and then afterward they had punch and cookies," Kohari said.

Her only objection was that the school distributed awards at the ceremony, so "it just went on forever." She said she would prefer to have those events separated.

Where Kohari saw a promotion ceremony go overboard was when her youngest left the fifth grade for middle school.

"That was just ridiculous over the top," Kohari recalling the slide show presentation and little diplomas.

"So in the eighth grade the PTO decided to make it a little more sane," Kohari said. "It can get carried away."

When Ford came to New Milford, she said she heard that the eighth-grade ceremonies were almost a rival to high school graduation, and she decided to reshape it so it was shorter and more student-centered.

Even though she had to work through some pretty strong resistance, she said she thinks parents and students alike have come to appreciate what is now offered.

"None of us likes change until we experience it and see how it goes," Ford said. "Every year it's gotten much more organized, and we've added some things."

The ceremony is held on the last day of school in the morning, with the four teams divided into two sessions of about 200 students each.

Students sing and read a class essay, and then teachers award certificates. This year's ceremony included a special treat for the students - a surprise all-teacher serenade to the students.

"It was phenomenal," Ford said. "It was just perfect for middle school - a lot of love, happiness and cheering. I want my children to understand what it means to have that childlike happiness. There were some tears, but they knew they were going on to bigger and better things."

Schaghticoke eighth-grader Paul Jackson said he thought the ceremony was "fine," though he wished there were a larger venue so all the students could celebrate together.

His mother, Lynne, said she thought what the school did was "nice," celebrating the students' move into high school without taking away from the excitement that should be saved for high school.

"I think it's appropriate to do something," Jackson said.

As for what happened in neighboring Washington,
Lynne Jackson
said had it occurred at Schaghticoke, she would have backed the principal's decision to cancel the ceremony.

She said it is too bad those who did not participate in the food fight had to suffer the same consequences as their classmates. However, a message about such improper conduct needed to be delivered.

At the time, Rodrigue said she and the staff determined that almost every member of the 88-student class participated in some way in the food fight, and that canceling the ceremony was deemed the best response to ensure such behavior doesn't happen again.

She understood parents' disappointment, but said she would have lost the respect of parents, students and faculty had she not taken a strong stand.

Some Shepaug students and parents argued taking away the ceremony was mean-spirited and could adversely affect how students perceive starting high school. Others argued that the ceremony was a reward that they did not deserve after a food fight that escalated into a destructive threat to school safety.

As a fellow administrator, Ford said she knows the decision was weighed very carefully.

The middle school years are not all about academics, but also learning lessons of consequences and community responsibility, Ford said.

"It's about the kind of character you're going to have," Ford said.

Newtown's eighth-grade promotion is treated as a very special milestone, complete with the 443 students marching into
Western Connecticut State University
's
O'Neill Center
to the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance." Each student is given a carnation boutonniere.

Even with its formalities, Newtown middle school assistant principal
Kathy Boettner
said the promotion event, this year on June 22, is oriented around student accomplishment that highlights the middle school years.

She does not think it would in any way be misconstrued as, or mimic, a high school graduation.

"I think students feel proud of their middle school achievements, and are proud of the fact there is a day set aside in their honor," Boettner said. "I think the parents welcome this kind of ceremony. The feedback is always positive."

"I don't think the location was appropriate," said Currier, whose daughter, Amanda, was promoted. "For me, it felt like a high school graduation."

She said the ceremony itself was very nice, marked with student orchestral and choral performances, but she would have preferred it to be a bit more low key. Some might find high school graduation a let-down after an extravaganza like this in middle school, she said.

"They're trying to grow up so fast in this society," Currier said. "They feel they have to act older and more mature. But you're only young once, and it goes so fast. We're not letting them get to be little kids.

"Personally, to me, it's wonderful to go through all the grades and work up to that one high school graduation," Currier said.